Chico State University is the second oldest university that makes up the California college system and is in one of the driest areas of the state. In the past few years, they have taken several steps to respond to ongoing California’s drought by finding innovative ways to cut back on water use.

Facility managers have found that updating restroom fixtures is key to conserving water. “This includes replacing older faucet aerators with new ones that use only half the amount of water,” says Bob Francis, Lead Plumber for Facilities Management and Services at Chico State.

The university is also replacing old toilets and urinals to reduce water consumption. New toilets use 1.6 gallons per flush, compared to the older ones, which used as much as 4.5 gallons per flush.

Old urinals used a gallon of water or more, but newer ones being installed at Chico use only one pint of water or, taking water efficiency a step further, are completely waterless.

It is now widely reported that no-water or waterless urinals can save as much as 35,000 gallons of water per year, per urinal. As you can imagine, in a college setting such as Chico State University, this can mean millions of gallons are being saved every year…exactly what the university was trying to accomplish.

As to the no-water urinals specifically, the university selected waterless urinals manufactured by Waterless Co. Inc. Waterless Co. is the oldest and one of the largest manufacturers of waterless urinals in the U.S. The company’s products can be found in many public facilities, such as schools and other universities, as well as hotels, office buildings, even in homes, where urinals in general are gaining greater popularity.

Outside the restrooms, the university has found another way to conserve water: by making major changes to how it irrigates landscaped areas. Older spray heads have been replaced with more efficient rotating heads that deliver a much smaller amount of water. A smart irrigation system measures evaporation, humidity, and temperature and sets watering times automatically. This ensures irrigation is performed only when needed; for example, if it is raining, the system turns itself off completely.

“This is a reflection of some very effective steps all kinds of facilities can take to help reduce water consumption,” says Klaus Reichardt of Waterless Co. “It’s in restrooms and landscaped areas where most facilities’ consume most of their water and those are the two areas we must target.”

For more information on how to reduce water consumption, waterless urinals, and to use water more efficiently, contact a Waterless Co Specialist